Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year

For Skyview junior Priscilla Timmons, running cross country is about setting goals for yourself. It’s about self worth, and the pride that comes from knowing you have contributed something to a greater good.

Timmons is a big-time contributor for the Storm.

She placed first in the 4A district meet and third at regionals this year. And she finished in fourth place while setting a personal record Nov. 7 at the 4A state meet, completing the five-kilometer race in a time of 18 minutes, 25 seconds.

That led Timmons to be selected The Columbian’s All-Region girls cross country athlete of the year.

What was your most memorable moment this season?

I know that I’ll never forget all of our circuits that we’ve been doing. We started doing these (practice) circuits this year, and they were dreaded. Pushups and situps and pullups that we do every day before we run. And it’s, like, ‘Aw, man. Do these hard things and then go do our workout?’ And definitely just spending time with my team and any runs that we did together.

What does it mean to you to run for Skyview?

It really means a lot. I know if I ran for any other school, I don’t think — our school was never very good before my freshman year. We were really bad, actually. And so coming to Skyview and helping to lead the rest of our team really made us a strong team and brought us together. … It means a lot that I’m able to come here and help with that.

What does cross country mean to you?

Cross country, to me, is just a way of life. If I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t — like, right now, I don’t even know what to do with myself since it’s not in season. Even if I got injured or something, I’d definitely still be there everyday. It just means everything to me, to be a part of the team and to run and compete. It’s just a lifestyle for me.

How did you get into cross country?

I started running track really young, in elementary school. I did short distances. And then my dad said, ‘You should try cross country. I did it in high school and it’s really fun.’ And I was, like, ‘Yeah, right. That’s three miles. How do you expect me to race all of that?’ And then he was, like, ‘Just try it, you know? Obviously you like running, so just try it.’ And so I joined this club team in the eighth grade, and that was when I first started doing cross country. And I really liked it. And it gave me some good experience to come in with freshman year.

What is something that you do as a hobby that people might be surprised to learn about?

I’m managing girls wrestling. (Laughs) … I never get to see (my teammates) in the winter, and I was, like, “Man, what can I do? I’m not going to do wrestling. But, oh, I can manage.”

What is the main goal you want to accomplish next year in cross country?

Next year I’m going for a state championship. That’s the goal.

What is a misconception you think people might have about cross country?

I think people really underestimate cross country. The fact that … no one likes running; running is people’s punishment for sports, you know? Everyone’s, like, ‘Oh my gosh. I just hate running. Why do you guys do that? Why would you do that?’ But they don’t understand how much fun and, really, self accomplishing it is to finish a race and know that you worked so hard and to get results and meet your goals. It’s really self-fulfilling. And it feels good on the inside, you know? And other things, like soccer and basketball, they’re all team(-oriented). But in cross country, it’s your individual performance that helps your team. So you know that when you do good, you’re helping your team do good. But it’s really … I think they don’t understand how fun it is. They underestimate it.